News Briefs

Ms. Tori Kobayashi has been awarded the highly competitive Robertson / International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) Fellowship in Aviation Safety and Crashworthiness. Kobayashi is currently completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics at the Prescott campus, with plans to graduate in December 2018 before beginning her graduate studies at Prescott.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Nov. 1 became the first academic institution to receive the Trusted Operator Program certification from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

U.S. Army veteran overcomes deployment and helps new student veterans adjust to college life
Standing in front of fellow veterans, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate student Amanda Meurer gives these first-year students study tips and other skills on being successful.
By her side is Mako, a golden retriever service dog who helps the U.S. Army veteran with anxiety and her diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. Mako has been with Meurer since this summer through the K9s For Warriors program. He is able to sense when she’s anxious and signals her to pet him which soothes her anxiety. Mako is also trained to help her with mobility.
“In the military when you have a friend with you it is called a battle buddy. Now, I have a battle buddy that just happens to be a dog,” she said.

Among the latest graduates of Embry-Riddle Central & South America’s Aviation Management Program, some are already reaping the benefits of their course participation, with at least three students promoted in their jobs while taking classes, and three stepping into jobs in other countries.

Lining the hallway at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Veteran Student Services are portraits of graduates in caps and gowns, wearing their academic stoles draped over their shoulders to signify their status as veterans. They serve as an inspiration to fellow service members attending school at the Daytona Beach Campus.
So when new student-veterans come to the front desk of Veteran Student Services seeking assistance and appear overwhelmed, U.S. Navy veteran Rebecca Perini points down the hall at the photos.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students were recently honored with scholarships from two national organizations.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), through NBAA Charities, awarded scholarships to three Embry-Riddle students during its convention in Orlando this week.

Embry-Riddle and City of Prescott dignitaries gathered alongside students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the official opening of the western campus’ newest residential hall, Thumb Butte Suites. The ceremonial ribbon cutting coincides with the annual OctoberWest celebration, made all the more special as the University commemorates its 40th anniversary in Arizona this year.

Dr. Remzi Seker, director of the Cybersecurity and Assured Systems Engineering (CyBASE) Center, professor of Computer Science and an accomplished scholar in the field of cybersecurity has accepted the position of Embry-Riddle Research Fellow.

In February 2018, a YouTube video revealed a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) taking off from a parking lot and climbing more than 1,000 feet as a passenger jet came dangerously close to the drone on approach to McCarran Airport. The irresponsible drone operator then flew upside down to get a better shot of the Frontier Airlines plane. Months earlier, a DJI Phantom 4 drone flying near Staten Island, N.Y., hit a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, damaging its main rotor blade because the sUAS pilot was deliberately flying beyond his visual line of sight.

Today – maybe on the other side of the planet, maybe closer to home – cybercriminals are constantly trying to exploit the vulnerabilities of the aviation industry: connectivity, availability, legacy systems and the constant flow of payment data from passengers.
Soon, 17-year-old Antonia Nunley of Columbus, Georgia might join an army of “white hats” being trained at Embry-Riddle to protect airports and airlines by combating cybercriminals. Nunley recently joined 20 other high-school students to take part in a unique aviation-focused cybersecurity camp, developed by Embry-Riddle Research Fellow and Professor of Computer Science Dr. Remzi Seker and funded by the National Security Administration.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Rhonda Capron to Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the Prescott Campus. Capron officially joined the university on September 25.
Capron, together with campus Deans, will manage and coordinate the strategic academic portfolio on behalf of the Chancellor. She will work closely with the vice chancellors for academics at Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide and Daytona Beach campuses to coordinate the policies, procedures, and initiatives that extend across the University.

Smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft that can fly farther – such as Boeing’s 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A330 – are seeing more sales than the massive Airbus 380 or the Boeing 747, Ashley Halsey III reported in the Washington Post.
To help explain this aviation business trend, Halsey called on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University expert Bijan Vasigh. Vasigh, the author of Foundations of Airline Finance: Methodology and Practice, serves as professor of economics and finance in Embry-Riddle’s College of Business on the Daytona Beach Campus.
“The most expensive part of the aircraft is the engine,” Vasigh told Halsey. “The Airbus 380 has four engines. If you don’t fill it up with 550 passengers, you may have lost your profit share.”
Such a large plane can be best used by airlines carrying many passengers between large hub cities, the Washington Post article explained. For example, Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has made recent purchases of the A380. Moreover, Airbus Marketing Chief Frank Vermiere said that demand for the A380 will rise as global air travel between megacities continues to increase.
Halsey’s article, “Is the Airbus 380 the future of air travel of a relic of the past?” was published by the Washington Post on Aug. 19, 2018.

Embry-Riddle Worldwide Professor Deborah Donnelly-McLay, a United Parcel Service 767 pilot, co-authored a peer-reviewed study, with Harvard University researchers, showing how pilot performance is affected by specific carbon dioxide levels on the flight deck.